It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

A first rate actress, Nicole Gacia also produced films of varying quality: "Un Week-End Sur Deux" (1990) was a estimable piece of work but its follow-up "le Fils Préféré" (1994) got bogged down in a river of clichés. These two works revealed Garcia's strong interest for the family and "L'Adversaire" revives her fascination for it. It is sourced from Emmanuel Carrère's novel which is a true story. On the 09th January 1993, Jean Claude Romand killed his wife, children and parents because he was about to be unmasked. The investigation will reveal that he wasn't a doctor but an impostor who had been lying for eighteen years. The female director changed the names but kept the thread of the last moments of this extreme story.Nicole Garcia walks away with honors and respect of a story which was difficult to shot in its entirety: how to assess a solitary, absent, tormented life of an unfathomable man with elusive thoughts facing the others? Some moments were also unimaginable (the killing of the children but with an accurate sense of directing, by keeping a low profile, by highlighting the somber scenery when her hero is all alone without extreme effects, the female director makes us really feel the loneliness of this mysterious man who just confides his secrets to a videotape. What increases the malaise is that Garcia removed any explanation or even little clues likely to shed light on his demeanor. With Faure's nonsensical actions and as the tragedy looms, the viewer will learn some astounding facts about his past like his refusal to pass his medicine exams in his second year at university.Daniel Auteuil is like good wine: he improves with age and "l'Adversaire" bears witness of it. He's just mind-boggling and it's impossible not to remain indifferent to this incredible experience which really happened.

What a chilling experience, this terrific movie. Jean-Marc Faure's loneliness in conference halls and on the highway is so painful that it's hard not to feel compassion for him. All my credits to Auteuil and Garcia for this moving film. As you probably know, L'adversaire was based on a tragedy that truly happened some ten years ago. It didn't just inspire one, but two directors. The other film based on this story is L'emploi du temps, by Laurent Cantet. I watched it yesterday, and I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. Having read the very enthusiastic comments on this site, I expected a film of equal quality as L'adversaire but the latter outclassed it by far. I missed the palpable loneliness and desperateness in l'Adversaire, and Daniel Auteuil is in my opinion simply a more interesting and accomplished actor than Aurélien Recoing. If you haven't seen either of the films, I recommend you watch L'emploi du temps first, or just L'adversaire. It's always interesting to compare, but if you have already seen L'adversaire, you might be in for a little disappointment.

This movie which is based on a true story is very incredible to believe it really happened in real life....this could have been an excellent Stephen King plot...but no...it's even scarier to know that someone could be able to do such a terrible thing. A word of wisdom, don't read the story before watching it...that's what I did and I was terribly surprised !

This is a tough, poignant film - as it evolves, the viewer becomes submerged in the dark universe of the main character, a man living a lie for years in front of his family and friends. Daniel Auteuil is, as usual, absolutely masterful, expressing extremely well the quiet and sombre nature of the character and the conflicts going on in his mind. Sadly a true story, it approaches us to the dark universe of a person capable of the worst to hide the truth.